Sorrow = Capital Sin?

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AndyF

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Picked this up on the catechetics site:

http://www.catecheticsonline.com/Summa-2-9.php

I’m surprised sorrow is capital. Thomas seems to be agree with his opponent that it’s parent root is sloth and envy and that it implies intrinsic evil.

Sorrow predominates in the emotions of the leading characters in scripture. Mary at the foot of the cross(Pieta), the woman at the cross who were told to “Cry for their children”, not “Stop sinning.”. It would seem it is a human trait that evolves from the sense of caring and tenderness toward another, or from sharing his sorrow.

Perhaps I missed the circumstances, and perhaps Augustine disagrees, I haven’t investigated further.

Your thoughts.

summa theologica 2-9

Question: 84 OF THE CAUSE OF SIN, IN RESPECT OF ONE SIN BEING THE CAUSE OF ANOTHER (FOUR ARTICLES)

Article 4

Whether the seven capital vices are suitably reckoned?

Objection 2: Further, the passions of the soul are causes of sin, as stated above (Question [77]). But there are four principal passions of the soul; two of which, viz. hope and fear, are not mentioned among the above sins, whereas certain vices are mentioned to which pleasure and sadness belong, since pleasure belongs to gluttony and lust, and sadness to sloth and envy. Therefore the principal sins are unfittingly enumerated.

Reply to Objection 2: Fear and hope are irascible passions. Now all the passions of the irascible part arise from passions of the concupiscible part; and these are all, in a way, directed to pleasure or sorrow. Hence pleasure and sorrow have a prominent place among the capital sins, as being the most important of the passions, as stated above (Question [25], Article [4

Andy
 
From all I’ve been taught, it would seem that the capital sin of sorrow is better expressed as despair. Despair better expresses the surrender that this capital sin implies.
 
From all I’ve been taught, it would seem that the capital sin of sorrow is better expressed as despair. Despair better expresses the surrender that this capital sin implies.
Yes, that could be. Thanks.

Andy
 
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